


Ladies of the Shade

by Katniss239



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Not Going To Spoil Anything, Rated T To Be Safe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 01:06:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3190055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katniss239/pseuds/Katniss239
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Gandalf tells the company of five women who may aid them on their quest, Thorin is reluctant. He is wary of outsiders, and to him, these women sound shady at best. But two trails are about to become one road, and the very face of the line of Durin will be forever changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Christine Adams as Aster  
> Jennifer Lawrence as Sky  
> Victoria Justice as Lizzy  
> Aisha Dee as Paige  
> Natalie Dormer as Xandra
> 
> This would be my dream list of actresses for these roles

The company rode endlessly across the rolling green hills and through vast acres of woodland, eager to get as far as they could by the day's end. A determined, stoic Thorin rode in front, followed closely by Gandalf and Bilbo. They had heard noises for the past few days that indicated an orc pack was following them, which raised the question of how the foul beasts knew about the quest. They always dissapeared like shadows, making catching them like trying to catch smoke with their bare hands, and yet they always appeared to be one step ahead of the company. Thorin was still doubtful about Gandalf's decision to name Bilbo their burglar. At the moment, he appeared to be more of a burden than an asset. He had no experience with any sort of weaponry, which also made him a liability. The dwarf prince was thankful however that Bilbo seemed to possess an ample amount of stamina and speed. He was perfectly capable of keeping up. That was one thing Thorin couldn't fault him for.

It had been several days since they left the Shire, and everyone was eager to get underway. The weather had been mostly fair to the company so far, and for the time being, no orc or other monstrosity had crossed their path. Gandalf prayed that it would stay that way long enough for them to reach Rivendell-which he planned to keep a secret until the pivotal moment. Finally, the sun began to set, and Thorin's keen eyes spotted A massive rock cave in the hillside that appeared to be large enough for them.

He held his hand up, signaling everyone to stop. "We will rest in that cave for the night." He announced, pointing toward the rocky outcrop. Everyone dismounted and led their ponies to where the prince had indicated. Once the ponies were unloaded and safely tucked away, Thorin and Dwalin entered the cave. The thick brush and large boulders provided enough cover so that they wouldn't easily be discovered. The cave was spacious enough to hold all fifteen of them, but it didn't go very far back into the hillside. They would be in for a cold night.

But it was their best option at the moment.

Thorin eyed a spot for himself near the front of the cave.

Not too far away to be away from the warmth of the fire, and yet still allowing him to keep watch.

The rest of the company filed in and immediately scurried to the back. Thorin gave a warm smile to his nephews as they passed by him, and he settled down into his watch. It didn't take long to get a fire going, and as Bilbo was preparing dinner, everyone eased up from their tense journey, enveloping themselves into merryment and laughter.

Thorin didn't join in the merrymaking.

Ever since Gandalf had told Thorin about these mysterious women back in Bag End, his mind was running a one-man political debate. From what the old wizard had said, these women sounded like fearsome fighters, and they went to great lengths to help those who needed it. But how much faith could he put into the wizard's words?

He didn't know anything about these people beyond what Gandalf said.

For all he knew, they could be spies, secretly working against them.

If there was one thing life had taught him, it was that, in a situation like this, you could never be too careful.

 

 

***

 

 

The crickets were playing their song in full tune tonight.

The sky was clear, letting the stars and the moon shine.

The group remained quiet as they trekked through the brush, listening for any signs of a presence that wasn't walking on four legs. The woman leading the group kept all her senses trained forward to listen and watch for any such signs. She wasn't fond of uninvited guests into their territory, so she was going to take the first watch when they got back to camp. It had taken a long time for them to establish their little safe haven, but through much perserverience, they had succeeded in their ultimate goal.

They were secluded in a deep part of the woods, so only a person who already knew where the camp was would be able to find it.

A deep pit of suspicion was still broiling in her stomach though.

It was only a few days ago when Gandalf the Grey had come to their camp with a proposal for them to join a quest. She had heard him out, but turned down his proposal all the same. They had worked hard to establish their new home. The quest of some distant mountain was no concern of theirs. They didn't need a bunch of strange men coming into their camp.

Still, she wouldn't put it past the old wizard to try sneeking them in.

Soon, the came across the small, isolated clearing where they made their camp. They had the fire on the ground, but their huts that they had constructed were up in the treetops, making it that much more challenging for enemies to find them. All five of them were skilled tree climbers, so they had nothing to be worried about.

It didn't take long for them to get a fire going, and while the others set about preparing dinner, the leader of their group sat a short distance away, keeping any lookout for trouble. She wasn't sure how long it had been, but she jumped up when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder, but relaxed when she saw who it was. She smiled and said. "Hello Paige."

The youngest member of the group smiled and handed her one of the two bowls of stew she was carrying, before taking a seat next to her. As the two of them began eating, Paige started making rapid motions with her hands. Aster smiled. With Paige's inability to speak, she had begun creating her own form of sign language. It had taken a while, but gradually each member of the group had learned what each little gesture ment. When Paige fnished, Aster replied. "I don't know. They could be anywhere. We haven't had sight nor sound of them since we came here. I wish I could tell you something positive, but frankly, I have no idea if they're alive or not."

Paige looked long and hard at Aster before making more hand signs.

"Come on." Aster responded. "You know me. What possible reason could I have for lying to you?"

Paige grinned before pulling a dopey look on her face and gently knocking herself on the forehead with a fist. Aster chuckled and said. "Go on. Go sit with the others. I'll be along later." Paige smiled before she got up and went to join the other girls. Once she was gone, Aster turned her attention back to the forest. She couldn't help smiling as she listened to the girls laugh and joke. These girls were the closest thing to a family she had. She would do whatever it took to keep them safe.

 

 

***

 

 

The sun was just barely starting to creep over the horizon.

None of the dwarves said a word as Gandalf led them deeper into the thick brush.

He had warned them that these women were not fond of uninvited guests, so everyone was on high alert, scanning the trees for any sign of company. As they continued walking, Bilbo glanced up at Gandalf, and noticed the old wizard muttering to himself, faltering in his footsteps every so often. "You're nervous." Bilbo exclaimed.

"What? Me? Nervous? Of course not." Gandalf replied-though it was perfectly clear to everyone how nervous the old wizard was. No one said anything however.

After a few more minutes of silence, Gandalf said. "Alright. We're nearly there. Now, you lot stay back, and let me do the talking." The dwarves all muttered in agreement. But they didn't had time to take another step however, before five shapes appeared seemingly out of nowhere, weapons in hand, and surrounded the company. Three of them were holding bows, the arrows drawn and ready to fire. The other two were holding strange black and silver devices that the dwarves had never seen before. But judging by the way the women had the long tube ends pointed at the dwarves' heads, it wasn't hard to guess what their purpose was.

One of them stood out in particular.

She was tall, close to Gandalf's height. Her long wiry black hair was done in dozens of small braids, and tied back behind her head in a horsetail. Her narrowed brown eyes were icy cold as she looked over the group. When her gaze found the gray wizard, she looked suprised for a moment, before her lips curled in a sneer. "What are you doing here Gandalf?" She growled.

"Well-I-um-" The wizard stuttered.

"You know we're not fond of uninvited guests." She was practically spitting at him.

"Well...these are the men that I told you of earlier-" Gandalf started, but was interrupted once again.

"I flat out told you no, but instead of listening to me, you bring them here!" She shouted. Gandalf quickly stepped forward and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "May you and I talk privately for a moment? I only ask that you hear me out, and if you say no, then we will leave, and never return again." The stranger was silent for a few moments before she withdrew her bow, put her hand up and said. "Alright ladies. That'll do." From the way the others listened to her without question, it was quite clear that she was the leader.

Before she turned to follow Gandalf, she said. "I think they've pissed themselves enough, don't you?"

The others laughed, and their leader turned away to follow Gandalf. as soon as they were out of sight, the girls put away their weapons and smiled as if they hadn't threatened to kill the dwarves in the first place. "Sorry about the scare." Said one of them. "That's our way of making sure no troublemakers come knocking on our doorstep." The dwarves couldn't help but stare curiously at her hair. On half of her head, her hair was cut close to the skin, while on the other side, it flowed like a red waterfall down to her shoulder. They'd never seen a hairstyle like that in their lives.

Thorin was taking this time to assess the situation.

Judging by their well-toned bodies and quick reactions, these women were very skilled warriors. While the dwarves held the advantage in numbers, it would prove to be a bit of a challenge to get away should the women decide to attack. Plus, he didn't like the look of those black and silver devices they had, and he certainly didn't want to find out what they did.

"Was that women your leader?" He asked, deciding it was best to play it cool.

"Yes. Aster is our leader." The redhead responded.

"And who are you?" Bofur asked.

"I'm Xandra." She told him. "I'm the leader when Aster's not around. And this is Sky, Paige, and Lizzy." She motioned one by one to each of her companions, and they all gave quiet greetings. Once the dwarves figured out that they weren't in danger anymore, they fell into easy conversation with the women. All except for Thorin, anyway.

He was too impatient to learn what Gandalf and Aster were discussing, and whether or not Aster would agree to join the quest. He was getting quite annoyed with the meddling wizard. First the hobbit, and now this!

He was going to have to have a conversation with the wizard. A very long, very loud conversation.

The others paid no attention to the brooding prince.

The rest of the company was too curious about meeting their new companions. It didn't take very long for them to fall into easy conversation. They had been conversing for an hour before Aster and Gandalf returned, this time leading a group of five ponies and horses. Gandalf looked extremely pleased with himself. Aster just looked incredibly bored.

"Good news, gentlemen." The gray wizard announced. "Aster has agreed, and so these ladies will be accompanying us on our journey to Erebor."


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take long for them to gather up supplies from both camps, climb onto their mounts, and get moving. While the leaders of the two groups stayed at the front, broody and silent, the others continued conversations they had started earlier, or picked up new ones. They were interesting company, ranging in height from a few inches shorter than Kili, to almost as tall as Gandalf. Kili's eyes kept getting drawn to one in particular. Paige. When his pony bumped into Fili's for the third time, the blond prince was quick to pick up on what was making his brother so distracted.

Grinning ear to ear, he leaned in close to his brother and whispered in his ear. "Say something to her."

With a determined look on his face, Kili let out a sharp breath and nodded. "Wish me luck." He said, then urged his pony into a trot until he was riding right next to Paige. "Hello Paige." He said, giving one of his trademark smiles. "My name is Kili." Paige smiled back and held out a hand for him to shake. Her round face a wide eyes gave her an innocent appearence.

But Kili knew from the way she had held her bow that she was no defenseless child.

And he liked that.

There was a long period of silence, Paige not saying anything, and Kili fumbling over what to say in his head. _Come on, you stupid git!_ He shouted at himself. _Say something!_ Paige looked at him patiently, waiting for him to say something. He couldn't stop staring into her deep, dark eyes. _Eyes! Yes, that's it!_ "Wow." He said softly. "Your eyes...they're beautiful."

Her smile widened, and her cheeks turned a lovely rosy color.

But she still wasn't saying anything.

Kili opened his mouth to say something else, when Sky came trotting up on her horse. "You know she can't speak, right?" The brunette asked him. Kili's eyes widened in suprise. "Yup." Sky continued. "She's mute." The prince's eyes turned back to Paige. Paige opened her mouth, pointed to the back of it, and shook her head.

 _Well, this complicates things._ Kili thought.

"If you want, the two of us can teach you her sign language." Sky offered.

Kili smiled at the thought, and nodded and said. "Alright."

 

 

***

 

 

Aster rode as silent as the grave at the front of the group.

She had to admit; Gandalf sure had a way with words.

He had refused to walk away from their conversation until Aster finally agreed to his terms. Truth be told, mostly she had agreed just to get him to stop talking. She gave Thorin the occasional glance as they rode, but otherwise completely ignored him. She heard a few of the others jokingly say how much alike Thorin and Aster were.

AS IF!!!

 _As if i'm anything like him!_ she thought. _With his enormous ego, his crazy short temper...his protectiveness, his stubbornness, his affection for his family-_ She cut herself off midthought. _NO! no! None of that. He's a...companion. Yes, that's it. A companion. Nothing more._

Still though, as she glanced at him, she couldn't help wondering _what if?_

 

 

***

 

 

As the company rode onward, the songs and merrymaking began to die away, and everyone remained focused on the road ahead. As they left the lush green forests and rolling hills of the Shire behind, the landscape subtly began to change. They were heading farther and farther to the east. No one spoke much until they made camp each night and settled down for supper.

One night, they had settled down on a massive rocky outcrop overlooking a steepsided valley.

Fili and Kili had first watch that night. Paige and Xandra had offered to sit with them, and the two princes gladly accepted. The four of them were becoming quite close. They still found Xandra's hairstyle quite strange, but they were able to look past that to the person sporting it. The brothers were catching on quick to Paige's sign language. It had only been a few days, and already they were able to piece together fragments of conversation from it.

They were in the middle of such a conversation when a piercing shriek cut through the still night air.

"What was that?" exclaimed Bilbo.

"Orcs." Kili said darkly.

"Orcs?" Bilbo echoed, scampering over from where he stood beside the ponies.

"Throat-cutters." Fili said, as if he were talking about the weather. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The Lone-Lands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood." Bilbo's eyes were as wide as saucers. He looked all around the camp, as if he expected an orc to leap out then and there and kill them all. Fili and Kili chuckled at their successful teasing. "It's not funny." Xandra hissed, while Paige was signing madly, glaring at the two princes.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin spoke up as she strode over. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili muttered, looking very much like a sad puppy.

"No you didn't." Thorin growled, stalking out to the very edge of the outcropping. "You know nothing of the world." The princes looked downcast at their uncle's words.

"Don't mind him laddies." Balin said gently. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." As everyone listened in, Balin told the story of the battle of Azanualbizar. As he told it, Aster stared blankly at the stars, memories flashing before her eyes. When Balin told of King Thror's beheading, Aster visibly stiffened. Thankfully, everyone was too wrapped in Balin's story to give her mutch attention. "And I thought to myself then; 'there is one who i could follow. There is one I could call king.'"

Thorin turned around, and was briefly surprised to find the entire company was awake, all twenty pairs of eyes trained on him. That surprise soon faded however, and Thorin resumed his usual calm deminour as he walked back to where he had been sleeping.

"And the Pale Orc?" Bilbo asked. "What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came." Thorin replied. "That filth died of his wounds long ago."

"Are you sure that?" Aster murmured, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What did you just say?" Thorin snarled. Aster rose to her feet and walked over, all eyes fixed on her. "You cut off his arm, Thorin. That was all. You didn't see his body fall still. How do you know he's dead?"

"You filthy little-" Thorin started.

Aster held up a hand and said slowly. "Thorin, did you, in fact, watch with your own two eyes as the light left his?" A long moment of silence followed, after which Aster continued. "He may be dead. He may not be. Wouldn't it be better to be prepared if the latter was true?" Thorin snarled an animalistic noise and stomped forward with his fists clenched. But before he could do anything, Aster's fellow women stepped up and placed themselves inbetween her and Thorin.

Another long moment of silence followed before Thorin finally turned away, and went back to where he had been sleeping. Once the tension finally eased, everyone relaxed. Once everyone was falling back asleep, Xandra leaned forward to whisper in Aster's ear. "That may not have been the brightest idea."

"But I am right." Aster replied, not looking at her friend. "And you know it."  


End file.
